I just bought a Mexican Fender Telecaster at a pawn shop. Looks and plays nice. Six-saddle bridge.
Then I took it home and noticed the strings don't go through the body. Don't strings go through the body on Teles?
Golly gee!
(Ain't it nice to have other obsessions besides guns?)

Well I'm a bass (guitar) freak myself so I'm not really up on teles. I do know that the mexican models are supposed to be identical to the US models except for less expensive woods and obviously less expensive labor.
My buddy has a Mexican Jazz bass that is almost identical to my American Jazz.
Maybe the the teles strings don't go all the way through like on the strats?

I do remember one of the Fender's has strings which go through the body but I forget which.
I know on the Strat and Surfcasters they don't so maybe it is the Telecaster.
I'm a bit more of a Keyboard player my self but have been around guitars quite a bit. I plan to get a Carvin myself maybe later this year (and a Mesa Boogie amp [:D]).
You might want to check here:
[url]http://www.fender.com/[/url]

I can't remember, been awhile since I played a Tele. Got to love that twang from the the dual single coil pickups. I play a Strat, myself, but would love to add a Tele and a Jaguar to my collection. Yeah, guitars are addictive!

Fender Made minor changes throughout the long history of telecasters. Some go through, some don't. Sustain is generally better with the strings passing through the body, as it transfers a lot more vibration to the body. Of course, if tone or sustain were really an issue, then you'd get a gibson! (Flame on, all you fender fans!) I do have a couple of fenders too though!
Airborne!!

Then I took it home and noticed the strings don't go through the body. Don't strings go through the body on Teles?

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I know they do go through the body on some versions (eg. American Standard). There may be others where it doesn't. I have to confess that as a primarily Gibson man, my knowledge of Fenders is somewhat limited.

Originally Posted By misterhemi:
I
I know on the Strat and Surfcasters they don't so maybe it is the Telecaster.

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The Strats that do not have tremelos have the strings through the body (called a "hard tail" strat). Most teles also have the strings through, but there are some that don't. I've seem them both ways.
This board has more than a few guitar players on it, so I'm sure someone can elaborate on the Teles further.

Were it not for the Brave, there would be no Land of the FreeNRA Endowment memberكافر

The Strat and Tele I had they did, but that was a long time ago. Check the Serial #. I own a Martin D12-28 since 1970, I have a 12 String Sunburst solid body Fender from 1968, and a 12 String Fender Acoustic I picked up from a Pawn Shop 5 yrs ago, A DG-30-12. That one is not worth to much.
So back to your question I know all my Fender Solid bodies had strings through the body. I am not sure of a Mexican made one SORRY

Chairborne,
The cheaper Mexican Teles have cheaper tailpieces. I wouldn't worry about it, as long as it has a good neck.
You will be more hamstrung with the poor electronics and cheap tuners than any tonal changes resulting from the cheaper tailpiece.
Should have saved up and bought a G&L!
[url]http://www.glguitars.com/[/url]
[B)]
Seriously though, it should be a fine guitar for you. I had a Mexican strat for a while, and it was the perfect platform for some serious home electronic projects. I rewired the pickups a million different ways.
I finally realized I was just a rhythm player, and bought a G&L ASAT (to keep it simple and sounding good). Best Guitar I have ever owned. My main instrument is bass, and I plan on picking up a G&L bass as well.
Check out my bands web page...
[url]http://www.seanet.com/~fiftygrit[/url]
Cheers,
Chris

I think they just put them through the end of the bridge / pick up plate. Another way to cut cost and save money. I think I just heard "Leo" turn over. Some of the mexican made stuff is pretty good for the price.

Here are a couple pics of one of my Strats - 1994 40th Anniversary aluminum body, chrome plated (!). It has a really resonant sound, almost like an ES335, but more twang.
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2Fchromestrat1%2Ejpg[/img]
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2Fchromestrat2%2Ejpg[/img]

Were it not for the Brave, there would be no Land of the FreeNRA Endowment memberكافر

Here's another cool one: Not a Strat though...
Can you identify it??????
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2FJem777SK1%2520%2D%2520800x600%2Ejpg[/img]
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2FJem777SK2%2520%2D%2520800x600%2Ejpg[/img]

Were it not for the Brave, there would be no Land of the FreeNRA Endowment memberكافر

Just a comment that I was kind of surprised by the number of guitar players here......
I decided to learn how to play at a late age of 29. I decided not to learn to play at the age of 30. To make a long story short my hands are to damn small and my fingers are to damn stubby it was driving me nuts trying to learn and I gave it up. Anyway I have a Yamaha electric guitar that's in near new condition. I only played around with it about 20 hours max. I don't know the model off the top of my head but if anyone's interested in it I can look at it and find out. My mother bought if for me as a gift after I had mentioned an interest in learning how to play. She paid way more for it than she should have. She bought it through a mail order music store or something for around $450 w/a small amp. If anyone's interested in it let me know. I'm looking to sell it or possibly trade for gun related stuff. I have no idea what it's worth. If I had to put a value on it I would say about $250. It looks really nice it's black gloss with white plastic overlay's and has a "whammy" bar. I also have like 10 pairs of strings I picked up for it at a good price. Guitar store was having a clearance sale. I'll have to find them if anyone's interested. Let me know via e-mail.
Chairborne_Ranger,
sorry for jumping in on your thread you can yell at me if I see you at the gunshow this weekend? LOL....
Take care,
John

Fender started using Tele bridges with the strings anchored at the rear of the bridge instead of passing through the body back in the early eighties on certain models. While not as nice as having a pass through design, the six string saddles make some of the intonation nightmares of the earlier three saddle models go away. (Especially the shared wound D, unwound G string saddle) I've never owned anything but American Fenders, but some of my friends own the Mexican ones and are happy with them. As a salesman once pointed out to me, you can buy a Mexican Fender made in Mexico by Mexicans, or you can buy an American Fender made in America by Mexicans. Not much difference there, I do think the American ones get better pickups though, but who keeps them stock anyway.

I purchased probably 3 American Standard Strats in the 1990's and in every case the neck warped after less than 3 months. Perhaps the Mexican models are better? Anyway, I am sick of Fender and their poor quality, and a much as I love their guitars, and that Fenbder sound, my Les Paul is now my main quitar. It hasn't failed me since 1977.

"Okay, but I'm not good at details, or the big picture. I also show up late, and drunk. I've got a good feeling about this."- Homer Simpson

[img]www.cartogra.com/rs/9020CE9A-483B-11D6-B42B-0090277A760E/screen[/img]
[img]www.cartogra.com/rs/9020CE9B-483B-11D6-B42B-0090277A760E/screen[/img]
[img]www.cartogra.com/rs/9020CE9C-483B-11D6-B42B-0090277A760E/screen[/img]
Here's the Tele, and a Charvel that is my main squeeze. Yes I put all that dirt and filth all over it myself. It came from a pawn shop as most good guitars do. Including the paint job. I generally go for the humbucker/Marshall sound, but got the Tele to play with some cleaner twangier sounds.

MATTJA,
I totally agree. I got rid of my Mex strat because the truss rod was shot, and the neck warped.
When I bought my G&L, I a-b'd it with a Fender '54 reissue tele (American not Japanese) and the G&L kicked it's ass. It was a little cheaper too. Fender quality is just not there unless you are buying a custom shop guitar.
Cheers,
Chris

used to have a mex strat that someone told me was better than their american standard..sold it for $100(stupid). also had a cheaper model gibson sg and sold that...then had a ibanez rg which i sold to my gf. the one i've hung on to is an ibanex rg7620vk 7 string, which i've added a emg707 active pickup to. sounds rad through my mesa boogie dual rectifier. just like guns..don't ever sell your guitars cuz sooner or later you'll regret it.

No4MK1, it's a sorry state of affairs, isn't it?
inferno715, no kidding. In the 80's I traded two Teles for a couple of American Strats, and the strats, of course, both turned out to be POS guitars. The only reason I did it is because I prefer the Strat sound to the Tele sound. But now I wish I had kept the Teles.

"Okay, but I'm not good at details, or the big picture. I also show up late, and drunk. I've got a good feeling about this."- Homer Simpson

Originally Posted By misterhemi:
I do remember one of the Fender's has strings which go through the body but I forget which.
I know on the Strat and Surfcasters they don't so maybe it is the Telecaster.

Originally Posted By mattja:
I purchased probably 3 American Standard Strats in the 1990's and in every case the neck warped after less than 3 months. Perhaps the Mexican models are better? Anyway, I am sick of Fender and their poor quality, and a much as I love their guitars, and that Fender sound, my Les Paul is now my main quitar. It hasn't failed me since 1977.

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Wow! I've owned literally dozens of Strats (all American) since the mid 1970's, and have yet to encounter a warped neck, other than one I got CHEAP because it had flood damage. Note that there is a BIG difference between warped and bowed. A bowed neck can usually be adjusted, although it may take as much as a month for the wood to take a "set" at a desirable point. I even had one that I paid $100 for that looked new, except there was about a half inch gap, string to fret, at the twelfth fret. It turned out on that one that the truss rod nut had come completely loose and the truss rod had NO tension. After about a month of adjusting it and tuning it, it came back. I sold it to a friend that plays it happily to this day. I had another one bought cheap with a bow, and the truss rod was broken. I parted that one out. Surprisingly, it's dry climates that wreck guitars (after being used to combating the dreaded rust with cars and guns), while humid climates are relatively wood friendly. I've seen a LOT of warped Epiphones, Jap strats, and other lower range guitars, but I attribute that to owner neglect. Most real Strats, Gibsons, etc., if they are not played, are left in their cases unplayed at full string tension for years on end, as opposed to left leaning against a corner closet wall with one or two broken strings by some teenager. That's a good thing since the temp and humidity, and string tension, remain fairly constant. Sometimes, shipping a guitar will cause problems due to climatic change. In that case it's best to loosen the strings.
I still own the first Strat I ever bought, nearly new in 1977, and it remains my favorite guitar playability wise, even though it's one of the supposedly crappy CBS era cheapos. Maybe I've been lucky, but I have not had a warped neck on any of my guitars of any brand (warp being more like a twist than a bow). Maybe it's from living in the north east, I dunno.
I don't currently own a Paul, but that's just timing! I also have a USA made Hamer Studio Archtop that is at least the equal of any Paul I've had or any PRS I've ever played. Good guitars that are well cared for usually don't have too many problems.
The bigger differences are neck shape and body/pickup configuration. Just IMHO.....

Were it not for the Brave, there would be no Land of the FreeNRA Endowment memberكافر

A little more eye candy from the collection:
A SUPER nice Carvin double neck with Duncan pickups:
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2FCarvin1%2Ejpg[/img]
And another Vai guitar, known as a Jem. This is one of the rarer Jem's - a Jem7RB:
[img]www.ar15.com/members/albums/gus%2FJEMRB1%2Ejpg[/img]

Were it not for the Brave, there would be no Land of the FreeNRA Endowment memberكافر

Had a few Strats myself. American Standards but I have heard that some of the Mexican Strats are nice. Now I had a Les Paul and it rocked but then I was tempted back in 97' by a guy I worked with at Hoshino USA(Ibanez distibuter). He had this guitar that was damned bad ass! Great look, nice wood, played great and sounded like a dream.. It was a PRS Custom 22. The next year got my hands on a McCarty and ended up selling the Gibson and the Strats. Bought 3 PRS's. Loved them all. Then..... MARRIAGE! Sold everything! Amps, guitars, effects, all gone! But I have been eyeing some new gear to go with my new promotiomn! See how she likes that....mwuuuhahahaha!

Originally Posted By Valkyrie:
Then..... MARRIAGE! Sold everything! Amps, guitars, effects, all gone! But I have been eyeing some new gear to go with my new promotiomn! See how she likes that....mwuuuhahahaha!

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Oh my Dog! [shock]
I can't even imagine my wife asking me to sell my guitars or guns!
That would be like me asking her to sell her expensive lighthouse figurines! [rolleyes]
Tell me you had to sell to make a mortgage payment or something... You didn't just sell out because she wanted you to "grow up" or some other reason just as asinine.
When I read stories like this it makes me shudder and realize just how lucky I am (are you reading this honey?). [:)]
Cheers,
Chris